My last two posts touched on a more serious side of East Africa. But here’s a different look at the region and why I fell in love with it in the first place.

Nature as inspired by Fruit Stripe Gum.

Elephant herds are led by females. Smart. :D

Slightly dopey looking giraffe.

"Have you ever seen a giraffe run?" a friend asked me. When I finally did get the chance to experience it, it was the most elegant set of movements I had ever seen. Where else in the world can you see such a fine spectacle?

He explained that he was seventeen and would be looking for a wife soon. I explained that I was unmarried and old.

Call me an art nerd but check out that analogous color scheme!

Precious.

A hazy mirage outside the window.

African sunsets have some of the most brilliant colors I've ever since. Lack of air pollution really helps.

For those of us in the US, today is Long Weekend Blues. It’s the day after Labor Day and the last glorious weekend before beaches close, barbeque grills go back in storage and everyone got a little too frisky with friends like “Captain,” “Morgan” and “Rum.”

What this all translates to is: I’m not ready for the week; check back tomorrow for a new post:D. In the meantime, take a gander at the new Facebook page for the orphanage I volunteered at in Tanzania. Check out what life is like for 24 kids who like me, regardless of today, stay hopeful about tomorrow.

In lieu of the tragic events of Tuesday’s earthquake and soon to be catastrophic effects of Hurricane Irene, I’ve decided to write a more positive post in the hopes that all New Yorkers can rise above the possible cancellation of Dave Matthews Band on Governors Island this weekend.

Many people have asked me what the food was like while I was traveling through Kenya and Tanzania. I’ll be honest, food in East Africa is not always the stuff culinary dreams are made of. It didn’t stop me from gaining weight though. Here are my picks of the bunch.

Cabbage and chai. A meal usually consists of a filler like rice, chapati (thin Indian crepes) or ugali (the best way to describe it is a dough made of maize) paired with one dish- meat, lentils, beans or the aforementioned cabbage.

Making chapati. Your typical meal in a hut.

Some kind-hearted employees in a juice store in Mombasa, Kenya pitied my desperate tourist photos and let me go in the back to see all the action: a machete-welding man chopping up sugar cane and feeding them into this grinder.

Fresh Passion Fruit sitting next to its friend, Fresh Sugar Cane Juice. This is the real deal. Just fruit, no additives and eternal happiness.

Cassava- It's like fat, starchy french fry minus the crisp.

Aniello's on Diani Beach. Basically an Italian decided to set up shop on the the coast of Kenya and marry homemade Italian goodness with fresh seafood off the coast of Kenya. It was one of the best meals I had in three months.

It’s 1:20am and my laptop tells me I have only 31% battery left until it quells over from alkaline starvation. So the race to cover over three month’s worth of ground begins.

Let’s start with the basics: I have been volunteering at an orphanage/ school in Arusha, Tanzania. In the morning I teach math and English; in the afternoon I spend time with the kids.

Many of them face challenges blotched by ugly numbers:

– Many are Nearly 1 million kids in Tanzania are orphaned by families affected by HIV

– Kids in the slums of Arusha live on less than $1 a day

Many of the kids are a part of these statistics but none are consumed by them. They all have different stories but one commonality ties them together: resilience.

A dangerously cute bunch: Helen, Eliah, Japhet and Diana

Ombeni and Aron

Getting a cup of porridge. In this photo: Benson

Rock stars. In this photo: Christina and Ombeni

Having a moment. In this photo: Diana

ABOUT US

Map&Move is a group for travelers with a zest for adventure, meeting new people, and rallying for a good cause. When we're not on the road, we organize micro adventures, spontaneous bar crawls, fun skill shares, and volunteer events in NYC. Join us!